Thursday, April 30, 2015

(Warning: Spoilers will abound. I'm trying to review a whole series here. It's not going to work if I don't. If you're one of the three people on the planet who a.) want to see this series unspoiled and b.) haven't done so yet it might be a good idea to find something else to do.)

Yes, I know that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a seven season series and that trying to cover all of it in one blog post is freaking nuts. Nobody ever said I was sane. That much being said, I just finished watching the series last week (and I haven't finished reading Trickster Noir yet) so I thought I'd share my thoughts. And what the hay? I'm declaring this a case of authorial fiat. As the author of the blog I decided I could do this.

ST:DS9 has always been treated as the unwanted stepchild of the Trek family and, in my humble opinion, for good reason. DS9 was a damn fine show. First and foremost it was a form of entertainment, but it went hard against social issues and didn't flinch. I may not always have agreed with the way a given problem was portrayed, but that was up to the producers of the show, with some help from the actors and directors. The cast was awesome, the plot-lines epic and the special effects amazing for a TV show. The heroes were heroes. The villains were scum. Wars were waged. Lives were lost. For only the second time in the history of Trek we lost one of our main characters. (Nooo!!! Bring back Jadzia!) With all of that being said, it still didn't fit with the rest of the series.

Gene Roddenberry specifically stated that he wanted his show to be optimistic in nature. There is a need for villains in this type of a show, and he recognized that, but he wanted the main focus to be on his characters and their struggles. The Klingons, for example, showed up more often than intended. They were supposed to be used in one episode of ST:TOS and then forgotten. The Klingons show up throughout the series as do the Romulans, the Jem'Hadar, etc. The other Trek series always managed to largely avoid the questions of religion and spirituality. DS9 featured Ben Sisko, the Emissary of the Prophets of Bajor. Overall though, this is the series that brought a true war to the forefront of the Star Trek universe. This was the show with a setting that was truly dystopic, with an abused planet full of damaged people front and center, the title space station that always broke down and corruption everywhere. No other Trek series could have followed the doings of Quark, the corrupt Ferengi businessman, and Security Officer Odo quite so closely. No other Trek show featured an enemy so insidious that they could look you in the face and you wouldn't know it was them. No other Captain could have taken the actions Sisko did in "In the Pale Moonlight" and dealt with it as well. This series stepped outside of everything that was Trek and it still carried the title. Yes, I loved it. No, it wasn't Trek the way I've always thought of it.

Any Trek fan with a function brain cell and five minutes to think about their hobby knows that Star Trek has always been about examining social issues. Roddenberry said it himself. This show was no exception and it managed to take on a lot of themes that the other Treks didn't. DS9 featured the Dominion War and the Marquis. It had the Bajoran Resistance and the Federation/Klingon War. This was a show that could consider questions about what was appropriate in war. This was a show that examined what it would take to stop a nuclear war (rephrased as a renegade Federation officer who used biogenic weapons) and whether or not lying was acceptable in diplomacy. Casualty reports became a regular part of the show in the sixth and seventh seasons. The cost was counted. The fight raged on.it added up to an epic background. The characters took center stage and rightfully so. Good stories are, after all, about people. The technology still did

As always, technology played its role. A new class of weapon was deployed. The USS Defiant debuted a new type of starship armor. Self-replicating mines were sewn. Holosuites were featured. All of its job of providing the hook that the rest of the series hung on.

From beginning to end, the series kept up the pace. DS9 was the first Trek to feature multiple story arcs throughout individual seasons. The multiple appearances of the evil slimeball Gul Dukat never disappointed as he was always an equal opponent. There was a rebellion from within the Federation. A ship full of cadets took on the Dominion solo. Kai Winn was a member of the not-so-loyal opposition and an effective balance to Sisko's religious authority as the Emissary.

In any series this long, there are going to be disappointments but they were far outweighed by the good points. Other wrinkles added fun for some while being less entertaining for others. The Ferengi come to mind in the respect. Overall though, it doesn't get much better.

I am not going to try to go over all of the characters in seven series of DS9. I'll list a few favorites though:

Odo, the security officer. A shapeshifting police officer who would have been ruthless if Sisko had left him. He lived by a code though and he seldom deviated from it.

Major Kira Nerys was the second in command of the station, a highly religious individual and a hardcore asskicker.

Jadzia Dax was the science officer and a bit quirky, being a Trill with multiple lifetimes worth of memories. She was one of Sisko's best friends and Worf's wife. She died a warrior's death at the hand of Gul Dukat.

Quark: The Ferengi bartender. A no-holds-barred capitalist. He develops a heart by the end of the series, but he never forgot the Rules of Acquisition.

I could go on but I won't. It's been a long day already. Suffice it to say that for anyone SF fan with a philosophical and/or spiritual side this is a must see. DS9 has caught some crap from Trek fans as well as fans of Babylon 5. It doesn't deserve any. Watch this series. It will entertain you. It will make you think. It will make you want more. And then, when it's over, it will leave you satisfied even if you feel a bit melancholy. It's worth your time.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Justin Smith, Steve Duong and friends are back again and this time it's WAR... err... peace. Sort of. The crew is up to no good (lots of good?) for the second time and this time they're facing off against the whole world. This one is not for the faint hearted. Kidnappings, theft (granted, of nuclear warheads and for the good of mankind) and gunfights about as we're brought into the world of a bunch of idealistic kids who want nothing but peace and freedom from government constraint. Nemo's World: The Substrate Wars 2 discusses some great ideas while still putting story first.

Kinnison spends quite a bit of time on the politics and diplomacy of his new world in his volume. Smith is doing a lot of work toward setting up a new interstellar government. Relationships are set up between the new planet and the existing governments of Earth. New planets are being applied for and assigned. There is a lot here. There has to be though, because this is a very political story.

The goals of the students (and that's what most of the good guys are) are laudable and they're very aware of the potential downside of the computers they have built. They can detect and destroy just about everything. They seize all of the world's nuclear weapons and hide them in space. They can destroy just about everything and Steve Duong knows all the tricks to do so. So far they haven't succumbed to the evil possibilities of their technology, at least by their standards. They're well aware of some of the potential damage that can be done with a technology that can detect, transport and create just about everything. Even punishment of criminals is performed with an eye toward mercy. In the end, not everything works the way it was intended to, but that in and of itself makes sense.

Nuclear weapons are stolen back by the United States government. A fight breaks out on the penal planet. It's made possible by the use of replicator technology (very similar to that used in Star Trek) that wasn't meant to produce weapons. Kinnison is very well aware of what can go wrong here and he is making the point. Sometimes I wonder if he takes it far enough though.

One of the factions that is on the "Good guy" side is the Grey Tribe. They're a group of cyber-rebels who have been sought by various governments. A lot of them are also programmers. So far Steve Duong has managed to keep them from getting loose and doing something - seeking revenge against the government on a personal level? - that he doesn't want. No one seems to have gotten hold of a joystick and taken something they shouldn't have for their own enrichment. Kinnison is obviously aware of the terrible potential of a computer that can move/create just about anything but he seems to be unwilling to take the logical next step. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It hasn't happened yet. Equally as strange is that nothing has gone hideously wrong. With technology this new and radical I would expect more accidents.

There could be a bit less talk in this book and a bit more action as well. Granted, there are fights, assassination attempts and a potential nuking so the story is not all talk, but there are large chunks of people talking instead of doing. Even a few minutes in the computer lab with Steve Duong while he is attempting his newest innovation and worrying about a potential failure might spice things up.

For all of that though, this is a really solid story. I read through it in about two days and I really did enjoy it. I'm waiting for the next book in the series (err, well... I hope I am. I haven't heard anything from Kinnison about whether it's going to happen or not) with bated breath.

Bottom line:4.25 out of 5 Stolen Nukes.

Nemo's World: The Substrate Wars
Jeb Kinnison
Jeb Kinnison, 2015

On Thursday : Cedar Sanderson's Trickster Noir if I'm done reading it by then. If not, whatever movie I decide to watch and review.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Ok, so this was supposed to be a review of Jeb Kinnison's Nemo's World: The Substrate Wars. That will still happen, only it will be on Tuesday. The thing here is that I woke up late and decided to watch a movie before I wrote my blog today. What I watched isn't technically SF/F but it is related and I was so blown away that I had to write about it. I found this accidentally and I loved it. Given the fact that I didn't even know it existed yesterday I thought I might help some of you find it.

Now you're all wondering what I watched that has me so excited. It's a documentary called Video Games: The Movie. I was impressed to say the least. At one point in my life I actually took enough time away from reading/writing/watching SF/F to earn a history degree. I have loved documentaries for decades. This is one of the best I've ever seen. What's more, it's a terrific story about something I have lived and loved for about the same amount of time. Video Games: The Movie is well thought out, well structured and incredibly broad based without being preachy or needlessly repetitive. In short, writer/director Jeremy Snead either knew both the video game industry and the art of making an entertaining documentary going in or he learned both in hurry. The voice over was done by Sean Astin and he is up to usual high standards (I loved him in both Rudy and The Lord of the Rings). He imparts his information quickly enough to keep it interesting and efficiently enough to give us all of the information we need.

When I first turned this on I was expecting a brief history of gaming, a little bit about the individual consoles, maybe a mention of PC gaming and a lot about technical issues. I mean, let's face it: I LOVED Pitfall when it was new but by 1990 it was a joke. There has been a ton of innovation and invention over the last few decades. There was a discussion of the technology. There had to be. There was also discussion of history going back to the 70s (silly me thought that Pong was the first video game. I stand corrected.) a bit about the perceived link between video games and violence, a discussion of what makes a video game (which included an entertaining but somewhat odd claim that Facebook is a videogame) and a really fun part about gaming culture. I want to take a minute and talk about that because it's something they covered really well and it's something I find to be important.

Gaming culture, and nerd culture in general is way beyond what it was when I was a kid. When they called me "Encyclopedia McCoy" in reference to the Encyclopedia Brown books I was pretty much on my own. It got a little better when I got a little older and there were a few of us in junior high and a few more in high school but things have exploded. The connections made through Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games like Everquest or World of Warcraft et al. are real. I have spoken to many of the people I played WoW with on the phone and I would LOVE a chance to reconnect with my old EQ crew. (Seriously. Aaniamen, Resta, Fyrelyght, Utamr, Iinien, Denniker, Beoheart, Lemleyka, Midnite or any of the rest of my crew, if you see this, hit me up. I can get hold of Ayetappa for you if you want as well.). Many people would poo-poo the thought but it happens and it's not just limited to gaming. I've spent only God knows how many hours talking to a woman I met on Facebook via Baen's Bar and enjoying it immensely. I hope to meet her IRL soon as well. This type of thing is going to become more - not less- common among us Odds out there in the future and I'm glad they mentioned it.

The nostalgia I felt watching this movie cannot be overstated. There were shots from Asteroids, Galaga , Pac Man, Super Mario Brothers (the original), Centipede, Command and Conquer, Sonic the Hedgehog, the list goes on and on. The hair on my arms stood up in spots. It was a trip that started with my childhood (my first system was an Intellivision. I had an Atari, too.) and ended like last year some time. I'm sure Snead would've included something from this year as well, but the movie came out in January so it's not like he had a chance.

Is the movie perfect? Well, no nothing is. It's not far from it though. I would've been happier with a bit more discussion of MMORPGs as I see them as being a separate genre of video game, but that's just me being a whiner. I've got over sixty days played on one character in Everquest (for those that don't know that doesn't mean that I played the game for two months. It means I spent over one thousand four hundred and forty hours playing seated in front of my PC playing just that character. It doesn't count any of the other characters I played on that account or in that game. Or any other game I've played.) and about thirty days on one character in WoW. The title sequence was a bit of a bummer too. It was video from several different classic games. I thought for a second that the whole movie would be like that. I was almost relieved when I heard a human voice cut in. Oh, and they left out Shinobi and the Sega Master System. If we're being honest both were decisions that made sense, but that was MY system that I got because I wanted THAT game and well.... I'm bitter. I'll survive but be warned that if your favorite isn't one of the icons it might not be there. Other than that though, it doesn't get much better in terms of entertainment, information and nostalgia.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

A secret tropical hideaway hidden under an arctic mountain;
A Broadcast Energy Transmitter that could beam energy from the ground to any spot on Earth or even into space;
Man eating plants;
Guns that shot not bullets or even lasers but tentacles;
Deadly spores capable of causing humans to devolve into animals;
An important character that slowly turned into a snake;
and another important character created in a lab using the DNA of various military leaders, would you consider it to be SF?

If other characters could pull tentacle monsters our of nowhere and use them as weapons to smother their enemies and there was a half man/half snake centauroid as another important character would you consider it to have a fantasy element?

Good! I'm glad you agree that this is indeed a SF/F movie. Seriously. GI Joe: The Movie is part of the genre I love. There's more genre related goodness in this flick than in a lot of the stuff I've reviewed here.

The story revolves around a group of new recruits. Law (with his dog Order), Jinx, Lieutenant Falcon, Jinx, Tunnel Rat and Big Lob and their attempts to finish training and become valued members of the GI Joe team. Lt. Falcon especially ends up in trouble and spends the movie fighting to make his name. Jinx is known as a bad luck charm. The rest are mainly just raw. Beachhead does his best as their trainer. Hilarity, hijinks and dramatics ensue.

SPOILER

Cobra-la is shown as the new faction. Their emergence was shocking to me the first time I saw this. Cobra-la is a major change in the previous Joe universe. GI Joe had always included a SF element but Cobra-la was an entirely new alien culture. I was impressed. The Cobra-la portions of this movie are a major departure from what had come before, but ultimately one I entirely enjoyed. Evil just seems more evil when the bad guy (Golobulous) is half snake.

This was a long way from being a perfect movie. I'm not at all an expert in the science involved but I know enough to believe that anyone who is would probably want to faint at the sight of this thing. Some of the acting is a bit on the melodramatic side for an adult. The death scene that would have added that needed bit of gritty realism got axed by Hasbro, owner of the toy line and the Joe trademark. That much being said, IT'S FREAKING GI JOE. How much realism do you want?

Sunday, April 5, 2015

A week ago I would have told you that I had read some seriously sexually charged SF. I mean I've read everything from George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire to the sickness and depravity of L. Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth series to John Ringo's well... lots of stuff. There's a reason why you can buy T-shirts that say "Oh, John Ringo, No." and I've bought and read every novel the man has ever published. I've never come anywhere near a SF book with this much sex in it though. I'd be interested in speaking to someone who has read this and is a regular reader of romance to find out if this level of sex would even be common there. That much being said, this is more than just a book about sex. This is a tale told from the progressive point of view and set in the near future. Indeed, the sex fits in well with the plot, always advancing the story and/or character development.

The future isn't what it used to be either. This is a future where the entire planet is caught up in a mess. The temperature is rising. The planet is burning. Carbon poisoning is killing millions. Quality food is nearly impossible to get. The only thing that can save the people is the psychic energy generated by pleasure. It can be harnessed by people with psionic abilities and channeled through a not very well defined system into hospitals where it can be used to help cure people with various ailments.

The story is told mainly through the observations of three different point of view characters. Joshua "Josh" Carter is a nineteen year old man and a religious terrorist out to stop the culture of the pleasure centers, the "House of Rae" by bombing their flagship house. He slowly but surely begins to fall into decadence and enjoy the position that he has been hired for... that of a male prostitute. Raeleen "Rae" Lawson is the owner of the House of Rae and not only hires Josh against the advice of her security department but takes him under her wing both to encourage him to be a good employee and because he turns her on. Lucas "Lu" Haverson is a senior employee in the House of Rae and Rae's former lover. He is also a psionicist and a pioneer in the technology that transports the pleasure energy. He is also suspicious of Josh and for all the right reasons.

Certain tendencies are accorded to the characters in a very well-defined and reasoned way, at least if looked at from a Leftist perspective. Lu is a womanizer who ended up with a job as a male prostitute because he loved the party lifestyle. Rae is a liberated woman who grew up with a strong religious background and turned a failed marriage into a multinational empire. Josh is a religious fanatic who believes that everything he is doing is sinful - except for planning to murder a bunch of people. He also has a strong streak of sexism and a belief that women should serve men. Again, from a leftist perspective, this all makes sense.

Oddly enough, for all of the environmental scaremongering that goes into this work there is a strong element of rightist elements to balance the leftism in areas outside of the environment and religion. Rae is a jilted woman but she is a capitalist of the first order, overseeing a multinational empire that helps make people well. Lu is basically a good man who has saved his whole life for his eventual retirement. Neither is mentioned as being a bad person for those tendencies. Both are shown as extremely sympathetic and Rae comes close to a breakdown when a couple of her Houses are attacked. Similarly, society's attitude toward mind-altering chemicals, marijuana in particular, can certainly be seen as a progressive attitude, but it would fit in at a Libertarian rally as well.

Overall, I found the book highly entertaining, although I would not necessarily recommend reading it at work. Anywhere else though, it's highly entertaining and action packed. Sex galore, flaming car wrecks, assaults on Houses, it's all there. There is a surprise or two along the way. Things go perfectly according to plan... until they don't. Ashworth does a good job at giving just enough foreshadowing to keep us from feeling blindsided by her plot twists while still leaving us just as surprised as her point of view characters.

Salvation, while being entertaining, is not a perfect work. The first chapter was clearly marked as being narrated by Josh but he felt female to me as I read it. The sensation wore off quickly, but it was definitely there and I was a little jilted when I realized that I was reading a male character. The tale is told in first-person but it takes place in three different people's heads and can be a bit disconcerting if you're reading quickly and skip over a chapter heading. Ashworth would also do well to do a bit more research on the rightist point of view as it may help her to make her characters even more believable. None of that is unforgivable though and at the end of the day it is an enjoyable work.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Yes, I am _well_ aware that this is a review blog and I've been badly off topic the last two days. That's unfortunate. However: It's my bloggie and I'll post if I want to. That's just me. One day I'll learn to focus on only the goal of the blog and ignore everything else. Yah. And monkeys might fly out of my butt. Anyway...

Amanda Green, has noted some of the vitriol by the enemies of the Sad Puppies. It seems that Steve Davidson of Amazing Stories (noted SJW rag and former promoter of SF/F as a genre. That being, of course, before they started to promote SF/F as a progressive social movement) has a problem with people buying memberships to support their favorite authors. He says; "Right now they’re probably anticipating the announcement with a certain amount of glee, since “leaks” (from the nominees most likely) seem to be indicating that a goodly percentage of those on the final ballot were championed by the Sad Puppy recommended voting slate." I hate to admit it, but you're right Steve. No, you're not just right, you're DAMN RIGHT.

See, I do admit to a certain sadistic glee in watching all of you Social Justice types squirm. There is nothing more personally satisfying to me than seeing Special Snowflakes who run around saying things like "Right now, a lot of involved folks are starting to seriously ask how fandom is going to handle this growing problem." because LORD (can I say that, or is it offensive?) and then following it with "The real, long term solution is to create more participation in the voting..." Note an Mr. Davidson: That's what the Sad Puppies are doing. I know of precisely one person who voted for the Hugo Awards prior to the rise of the Sad Puppies that is voting with them this year. She started voting the year before the SP movement began with many of the same goals.

He can't have it both ways, but he's convinced that he can. I've seen this attitude from many SJWs both inside and outside of SF/F fandom. The automatic assumption is that everyone believes as they do and if more people just voted they'd win every election. Word to the Left: It doesn't work like that. There are plenty of us out there that are sick of your crap. Screaming about inclusion doesn't work when your real goal is to lock the people you disagree with out.

The real kicker is that Davidson whines about the SPs making money when he works for a FOR PROFIT SJW RAG err.... SF/F magazine. Writing is a business. This blog was started with the goal of monetization and money for little old me. The professional authors that have headed up the SP movement (along with Evil League of Evil member and Duchess of Snark Kate Paulk, who will be leading the charge next year) realize that. You'd think Davidson would too. Apparently, he's got more important things in mind for the business he works for than making money. I'm not sure how his financial backers feel about that. It's weird. Winning a Hugo used to guarantee sales. A Hugo logo on the cover of a book was a sign that it was worth the money a fan would pay for it. It's not until Davidson and his ilk began to take over the awards that it became a sign of "social relevance" and literary pretensions.

Just once, JUST ONCE I'd like to see a person like this take five minutes to think their position through. Just once I'd like a guy like this to see the holes in his argument at are big enough to drive a truck through. Just once I'd like to see a guy who wants more inclusion NOT try to punish someone who disagrees with his opinion. Just once, I'd like to hit my head hard enough to actually believe that a hypocrite like Davidson is capable of seeing himself for what he really is. Then again, maybe I don't. That might hurt. Oh, and once again, just because I can and because he started the Sad Puppies train moving forward (not forgetting that the first two words in any writer's mission statement should be GET PAID) :

On Sunday: Lizzie Ashworth's Salvation. For real this time, as I will be finished reading it tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

(First off, a bit of housekeeping. This blog was formerly Sunday/Wednesday/Friday. As of now I am switching it to Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday. It just works better for me that way.)

I would like to come before all of you and make an admission: I am not a real Science Fiction fan. Yes, I hear all of you out there. I run a blog that reviews SF/F books and movies. I am aware that I once owned (freaking divorce) six bookcases full of SF/F literature. I know I've read comics on and off since the early eighties. I've seen the original Star Wars movies approximately four hundred and forty seven million times. I have been spotted at a couple of cons. My nearest and dearest all know that I write in the genre even if I haven't been published. I'm working on it. But apparently I don't count because I don't pay for a membership to a con I can't attend because it's not local to me. For that, I'm not a real fan. Just ask Teresa Neilsen-Hayden, member of the Secret Masters of Fandom. According to her only people who have supported Worldcon for years have a right to have their opinions heard. Even the Sad Puppies are not REAL members of the con and do not deserve to have their opinions heard because they don't support her point of view. Teresa Neilsen-Hayden can shove her opinion up her ass.

I just admitted that I did not support the Sad Puppy slate in the Hugo Awards this year for financial reasons. That much being said, I support their right, or indeed the right of ANY person who wishes to nominate and/or vote in the Hugo Award and PAY THEIR FREAKING MONEY TO DO SO to vote. It's that simple. TNH is, along with her followers, currently campaigning to have the rules of the convention changed to keep people she disagrees with from voting. She, and others like her, quite frankly disgust me.

Give it up folks. I get the fact that your whiny leftist asses are bothered by the fact that people who won't preach your beliefs tells me everything I need to know about your character. I personally have praised the works of Suzanne Collins on this blog even though I disagree with her politics because she's earned it. That woman can tell a DAMN GOOD story. Yes, it supports a leftist worldview. It also involves plenty of action, a believable love story and characters I'd love a chance to hang out with. That's all that matters.

So, you SJW snobs that can't deal with the fact that people are voting for who they want to vote for, or that the organizers of the Sad Puppy movement have promoted sales of the works they have put on their slate (as an effort to get people to read what they want them to vote for and to make some filthy lucre) or that they might dare to write something you disagree with can kiss my ass. They've paid their money, now they'll take their chances. This year's organizer was Brad Torgersen. I already reviewed him here and gave him the highest score I've ever given. Next years organizer will be Kate Paulk. I'll be reviewing one of her books shortly. (Spoiler: I'm a fan. I paid for her books. I will buy the next one if she doesn't send me a copy for review.) Teresa Neilsen-Hayden has one book published. If she wants to send me a copy I'll review it. HONESTLY. If it's good, I'll tell you it's good. If it's not, I'll score it appropriately. I doubt I'll see a copy, but if I'm being honest that's because I doubt she'll hear about this blog post.

So go forth, Sad Puppies (or Wet &Irritated Kittens) and vote for who you like. Vote for the slate. Vote for something that's not on the slate. Vote for your opposition. Do what you do because you want to do it. If you've got your middle finger sticking up while you do it, I won't complain. Then again, I'll be doing the same. Oh, and just because I can:

(That's from Michael Z. Williamson. Apparently the SJW types are up in arms because they heard he got nominated. The only solution to the problem is to support the work whether you can vote or not. Plus, I've met Mad Mike and I like him. He writes like a champ too.)

Tomorrow: Salvation by Lizzie Ashworth if I get done reading it by then. If not, I'll review a movie.

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